Sunday Sundaes
by biancadiangeno
Summary: They were about as similar as dark chocolate fudge and vanilla ice cream. (A/N: Thank you to those who informed me about the weird content!)


They didn't make sense.

He was the kind of person who would travel from country to country and see endless beauty in things local residents would easily call normal and unimpressive, the kind of person that towed along sunshine and happiness and love and beauty wherever he went. And sometimes, Nico couldn't take it. Sometimes, he gets massively overwhelmed by the amount of care and compassion the other boy showers upon him, and he runs away. He gets scared, afraid of the brutality of what he knew came next.

He didn't make sense.

He was the kind of person who would shy away at the sight of even the smallest piece of affection, the kind of person whose dark eyes flickered to every direction other than the one where a pair of blue eyes looked back at him. And sometimes, Will couldn't take it. Sometimes, he just wants to wrap his arms around the other boy and shield him from the horrors his past had brought to his present, to ward off any sense of dread and evil still present in Nico's life. But he knew he couldn't do that, not when the other boy was constantly pushing him away and forcing him to stay back.

It didn't make sense.

He thought he'd made it clear when he forced him to stay in for three days. _Three days_. The medics in camp were sons and daughters of the god of healing himself, a boy with overused powers barely needed to stay in their care for a single night, much less two. And yet even so, Nico made it a point to stay in for Will's required number of sunrises and sunsets. Will didn't know whether he was unaware or simply uncaring of his feelings.

Nonetheless, he stayed by Nico's side, tending to his battle wounds and checking up on him every now and then to make sure he didn't fade out into complete nothingness. No one else took care of the boy. Everyone in the infirmary steered clear of him, the hushed voices and sneaky smiles thrown in by almost everyone in the area as the two stayed together.

Will didn't even bother returning to his cabin for a good night's sleep—he simply lulled his head on a chair beside Nico's bed and slept there. By then, he was positive he'd made his intentions clear; he wanted to help Nico, to befriend him. He wanted the other boy to know that he wasn't alone, and that he had people out there who were willing to make the first move and engage in a friendship with him. But Nico simply mumbled a thanks and walked out once the three days were over.

Was the boy really that dense?

He didn't make sense.

Why was he even bothering with him? Nico knew nothing good ever came from opening himself up and letting people in—doing so to Reyna and Jason had already drained him enough. So why was he letting Will Solace drag him out his cabin and join in the campfire sing-along for the _fifth time_ this week? Nico hated those things. Nico hated the way the campers sang too loudly. Nico hated the smores messing up his clean hands. Nico hated the stupid song lyrics. Nico hated the tradition of joining everyone's hands at the end of the night. Nico hated all of it.

So why was he finding himself biting back a smile threatening to show on his face?

It didn't make sense.

Will knew he appreciated the company. He wouldn't have still been alive at this point if Nico didn't feel even the tiniest bit of gratefulness whenever Will snuck him out to stay in the woods. It started to become a favorite pastime of theirs, just sitting by a tree and watching as the sunlight seeped through the evergreen leaves atop the tall trunks. At some point, Nico managed to smuggle in a couple of chocolate fudge sundaes in one of their little escapades, and the two found themselves enjoying the tiny bit of cold sweetness amidst the humid summer air.

Will thought Nico was just like the hot chocolate generously dabbed on the vanilla ice cream—a little too bitter, a little less sweet.

He stared at him. Why exactly did he like Nico di Angelo? Was it because of how he hid his dark eyes behind his even darker hair all the time? Was it because of the glares he kept sending out to everyone? Was it because of how he saved everyone's lives and kept acting like it wasn't much of a big deal? Was it because of how he almost evaporated in the air just to salvage the fate of the world from Gaea herself? Or was it because Will was simply attracted to him?

He knew he liked Nico, but the logic behind it blurred into the background; Will couldn't pinpoint the exact reason why he fancied the boy.

It didn't make sense.

Nico often found himself comparing his companion to the sundaes he brought. Somehow, Will reminded him of the vanilla ice cream underneath all the fudge—not too sweet, not too tasteless. It was just right. He was just right. And Nico couldn't get enough of him.

It didn't make sense.

He lived for the moments Nico showed his angelic smile and let out a laugh. It didn't matter if it was because he tripped, or spilled his drink, or muttered a cheesy joke, or couldn't shoot an arrow straight to the bull's-eye—it didn't matter. The sound of the other boy's amusement and glee was enough for Will to feel the need to let it emerge the next day, and the next day, and the next day, and all the remaining days they had left in their lives.

It didn't make sense.

He was practically the embodiment of the sun, someone as bright and welcoming as the big ball of fire high up in the sky. Every time he was around, Nico felt thrilled. It didn't matter if he bossed him around about his health, or tried to cheer him up with haikus, or broke the rules to sit by his table, or simply hung around camp with him—it didn't matter. Just Will's presence was enough to brighten Nico's day, even as he tried to scare the boy off with his snarky comments and snide remarks. All Will did was laugh.

And Nico realized he felt happy.

It didn't make sense.

They were polar opposites, people as different as night and day, light and dark. But just as the bitter dark chocolate fudge settled upon the sweet vanilla ice cream, somehow they balanced each other out. Nico brought Will's head from high up in the clouds back down to land, just as Will pulled Nico's brooding self up from six feet under the ground. And the two met on even ground, on neutral territory, both out of their element when it came to one another.

They didn't make sense, they knew they didn't.

But they didn't have to, to fall in love.


End file.
